TMS Muse of the Week: Louise Lasser
(Lynn Goldsmith)
As I’ve mentioned before on The Meggie Sue, the word ‘underrated’ gets thrown around a lot and a is used more in the context of ‘overlooked’ most of the time. When it comes to women in comedy, I think both words are appropriate for blonde-turned-redhead Louise Lasser. Whether as the star of the cult classic KTLA sitcom “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” (1976-77) or as the muse of former husband and collaborator Woody Allen during the early days of his movie career. Louise might have been a woman ahead of her time. One reason “Mary Hartman” didn’t last very long is because not many comediennes were using neurosis as part of their material at the time, despite the fact that Louise’s ex-husband was the one to popularize neurosis based comedy in the 1970s. But fortunately, as time has gone on, TV and comedy fans have re-discovered the show and now appreciate both the writing and performances.
But let’s start at the beginning. Louise is a lifelong New Yorker who began her career on stage as Barbra Streisand’s understudy in the original 1962 Broadway production of Harold Rome’s musical ‘I can Get It for You Wholesale.’ Like another Woody muse, Diane Keaton, Louise is a trained drama and musical theatre performer who wound up mainly recognized for her comedy work. At the same time she was getting gigs in theatre and at local NYC clubs, Woody was making a name for himself as a stand-up comedian and TV writer. While Woody’s first wife, Harlene Rosen, wasn’t amused by the cliché wife jokes clearly based on their marriage, Louise was a legitimate partner in both romance and art. The pair were married for four years between 1966 and 1970 after dating for three years. During this, Louise had bit parts in Woody’s farces What’s Up, Tiger Lily? (1966) and Take the Money and Run (1969), as well as Clive Donner’s What’s New, Pussycat? (1965), written by Woody. Funnily enough, the second half of their professional partnership was after they divorced. Louise was upgraded to female lead in Woody’s Bananas (1971), co-led a segment of Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (1972) and appeared with a cameo in Stardust Memories (1980). The very funny break-up scene between Woody and Louise’s characters in Bananas is loosely based on how the couple separated in real life, and Charlotte Rampling’s character in Stardust Memories is supposedly inspired by Louise.
(Hyman Rothman)
Something Louise has always been open about is her struggle with anxiety and depression. Growing up with parents who would both tragically die from suicide, the actress says it wasn’t until meeting Woody that she realized these were common disorders to have. She even credits Woody referring his personal psychiatrist to her as the first and biggest step in improving her mental health. It would seem having similar personalities and sense of humor helped the development of their relationship. Woody quickly became the next big thing in comedy and Louise was doing well for herself also getting roles in Otto Preminger’s dark comedy Such Good Friends (1971), Howard Zieff’s romcom Slither (1973) and John Badham’s comedy-mystery Isn’t It Shocking? (1973). But at home, stress from their careers along with their eccentricities made them react dramatically to disagreements and arguments, including breaking up a couple of times before they married. Shades of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald according to Woody. Louise tells an amusing anecdote in Robert B. Weide’s Woody Allen: A Documentary (2011). One of her anxiety issues was insomnia, especially under pressure from work, and it would bug her how Woody never seemed to have any problems sleeping despite working triple duty as actor, writer and director.
(Everett)
Watching Louise’s efforts in Bananas as the political activist girlfriend Nancy, it’s easy to see how she could be a natural in the prime of classic television as kooky housewife Mary Hartman. She had a unique quirkiness and cuteness that worked in her favor. When Woody’s romantic and artistic relationship with Diane started overlapping with his and Louise’s, it would have been easy for showbiz to toss Louise aside. Yet she bounced back instead, albeit briefly. The star was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy Series at the Emmys and received great feedback from critics. But I think she might not have been entirely comfortable with stardom or knew how to accept it as well as Woody or Diane have. The same year “MHMH” premiered, Louise was arrested for carrying 88 milligrams of cocaine in her purse while being confronted about an unpaid traffic ticket. On top of this, she also has the distinction of hosting one of the few episodes of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” that has never been re-aired. On July 24th, 1976, Louise appeared in front of the SNL live audience for the typical opening monologue, which initially seemed like a play on her Mary Hartman character’s erroneous rambling. But then she suddenly ran off the stage, all the way into the dressing room, and locked herself in for the rest of the live taping. This forced SNL castmates Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman to fill in for her on the spot. According to Louise, this whole incident was planned, with her thinking people wanted to see Mary more than her real personality. She also claims showrunner Lorne Michaels didn’t ban her from returning to the show or her episode from syndication, but that the network shelved the appearance out of sympathy.
Louise continued with supporting roles on ABC’s “Taxi” (1980-82) and in Sam Raimi’s Crimewave (1985), Todd Solondz’s Happiness (1998), Kinka Usher’s Mystery Men (1999) and Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream (2000); before stepping away from the camera to focus on teaching acting classes in NYC since the 2010s. As for Woody, she hasn’t spoken about him much in recent years and has wisely kept quiet on his controversies. Although she still credits him for influencing her comedy style and seeking an analyst; she also admits that she hasn’t seen him much since the 1970s, even though they ended things on good terms. “It’s different now. I think he considers us his crazy relationship,” she revealed to The Toast in 2013. I’ve always liked Louise. One of my ‘relatable queens’ during the early years of my own neurosis. She didn’t present herself as anything more than she already was. She was essentially the proto-Diane in Woody’s career and paved the way for funny, eccentric TV ladies like Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Natasha Lyonne. And that’s an original accomplishment worthy of entertainment history.